Serving machine



Dec. 23, 1952 c. J. ROHLAND 2,622,808

SERVING MACHINE Filed Dec. 15, 1948 2 SHEETSSHEET l INVENTOR.

aid JZZZM ec. 23, 1952 c J RQHLAND 2,622,808

SERVING MACHINE Filed D60. 15, 1948 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 IN VEN TOR.

TEZW aL/J Patented Dec. 23, 1952 1 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SERVINGMACHINE Curt J. Rohland, Seekonk, Mass., assignor to Universal WindingCompany, Providence; R. I., a corporation of Massachusetts ApplicationDecember 15, 1948, Serial No. 65,358

however, provide a novel type of machine for.

winding short lengths in which the tool turns around the work, but inwhich the work is preferably manually moved for'winding purposesrelative to the rotating tool. My invention is particularly adapted foruse in the type of winding usually employed for covering the end of acylindrical element which has been formerly performed by hand by girloperators, and an object of my invention is to provide a small windingmachine in which the process of winding may be as much in control of theoperator as in hand winding and in which the winding is at all timesvisible to the operator, so that the operator may be able to freelyexert his control over the winding.

A further object of my invention is to provide a machine which is atleast three times faster in its operation than hand winding and onewhich can be readily manipulated quickly by even an operator of lowmentality, without any hardship on the operator.

A further object of my invention is to provide a device in which theoperation is at all times entirely within the control of the operator.as to the length to be covered, the spacing of the winds, the tensionapplied and otherwise.

A-further object of my invention is to provide a winding on suchlengths, which is many times more even, which is uniform, tight andwhich makes a much better commercial product than one produced by anyhand wound process.

As stated, the primary use'of my invention is in covering the singleends of a two wire electric cable. In a two wire cable of thisdescription, each wire is usually covered with a layer of fluffyinsulating material such as asbestos or fiber glass for insulation andfire-proof purposes, and when the outer braided covering covering bothinsulated wires is cut off, the fiber glass or asbestos insulatingcovering immediately adjacent the rubber covered wire strands, tends tofluff away and become separate from each individual wire,

10 Claims. (Cl. 2427) and up to the present time the operators hav hadto hand wind a helical covering of cord around each respective wire andagain around the two or more wire braided covering adjacent theseparation of said wires and tie a knot in the crotch formed by theseparated wires. This has been a slow process and due to the fact thateach operator has had to hold the parts in her hands, it has produced adecidedly non uniform and relatively unattractive product at the greatexpense inherent in hand winding. Employing my machine, however, theoperator is enabled to apply a winding around each individual wire,firmly binding the asbestos or fiber glass or other loose insulatingmaterial around the rubber covered wire and also around the common braidcovering the two or more wires for a distance above the crotchseparating the two or more wires.

When the winding is complete, the operator may merely tightly wind theend several times around the crotch and slip it through to wedge ittight,

without the necessity of tying a separate knot,

thereby providing an attractive and workmanlike job.

In winding such material, I have found that the speed of winding isincreased at least three times and a much better product is provided.

Further features of my invention relate to the specific construction ofmy improved winding machine. For this purpose, I rotate a tubularspindle having a transparent front end having a strand delivery holeimmediately adjacent said front end, in any suitable manner, such as byan individual variable speed motor, and I feed the continuous run ofcord axially along said rotating spindle so that its end may projectinwardly of said cord delivery hole, so that when the end of acylindrical object is inserted within the front end of the transparenttubular part of the spindle, it may be evenly wrapped with cord.

I also provide means to guide the cord so that it may rotate axiallyover the outer surface of the spindle as the latter rotates while beingaxially fed along said surface, with'means to properly tension the cord.

I believe I am the first to provide such a device employing a rotatingtransparent tubular spindle with the end of the cord fed internally ofthe end of the tubular spindle as it rotates for windin an objectinserted within the end of the tutating spindle and guiding the cordaxially along A further feature of my invention resides in theconstruction of means I provide to rotate the spindle, which willprovide the desired tension, yet yield in case of an emergency,comprising an elastic band.

These and such other objects of my invention as may hereinafter appearwill be best understood from a description of the accompanying drawingswhich illustrate an embodiment thereof.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of my invention suitablymounted on a stand.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the embodiment of my invention shown inFig. 1, with the tubular spindle, its bearings, and pulley shown insection.

Fig. 3 is an exploded disassembled perspective view of the parts of mymachine shown in Figs. 1

and 2.

Figs. 4 and 5 diagrammatically illustrate my invention employed forwinding the individual wires of a two wire electric cable, Fig. 4showing the end of one wire inserted within my rotating transparenttubular spindle to Wind a helical covering of cord around it, bindingthe insulating material firmly to the rubber covering of the individualwire, with the opposite unwound wire having the loose insulatingmaterial thereon also being indicated, and Fig. 5 being a perspectiveview like Fig. 4 showing how the adjacent braided end of the double wirebraided cable adjacent its split ends is supplementally covered withcord to add to the strength of the binding.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the end of a two Wire insulated cablehaving a covering wound by my improved machine.

In the drawings, wherein like characters of reference generally indicatelike parts throughout, It! generally indicates a machine for helicallywinding a continuous run of cord around a substantially cylindricalelement, constructed in accordance with my invention. Broadly, myinvention includes the supporting means I2 which may comprise anysuitable type of support, a tubular spindle 14 having a transparentfront end I6 r0- tatably mounted on said supporting means I2, with aradial cord delivery hole I8 preferably immediately adjacent the frontend 20 thereof, suitable means to rotate said spindle and suitable meansto guide a continuous run of cord 22 axially along the outer surface ofsaid rotating spindle H, with the end 24 thereof projecting radiallywithin said hole I8 to wind it helically around a substantiallycylindrical element temporarily inserted within the front end of saidtubular spindle as shown in Figs. 4 and 5.

The stand 12 may be mounted on any suitable object, such as the fiatelement 26 which may comprise a suitable table top or otherwise. In mypreferred embodiment, the stand l2 has a substantially vertical wall 28,having the supporting legs 30 projecting inwardly therefrom which may besecured in any suitable manner to the base 26 by screws or otherwise.

In my preferred embodiment, I provide the electric motor, which in theembodiment shown comprises a variable speed rheostat controlled H. P.motor 32 capable of -5000 R. P. M., suitably secured to said verticalwall 28 in any suitable manner such as by screws or otherwise. I havefound that a suitable efficient operating speed is around 800 R. P. M.Said lectric motor has the I drive shaft 34, having a portion projectingforwardly therefrom as shown. Suitable bearing means are provided forsupporting the transparent tubular spindle l4, in the embodiment showncomprising the front bearing arm 36 and the rear bearing arm 38,projecting inwardly of said motor 32, having bearing holes 40 and 42 inaxial alignment with each other and with said motor drive shaft 34. Thetubular spindle l4, having the transparent front portion !6, has thradial cord delivery hole [8 therein preferably immediately adjacent itsfront end 20 forming guiding means to direct a cord or strand radiallythereinto, and extends through said respective bearing holes 40 and 42.The spindle I4 is preferably made of a suitable transparent plastic suchas methylmethylacrylate, cellulose acetate, etc., although it may beconstructed of any suitable transparent material such as glass, Pyrexglass, etc.

In the embodiment shown, I provide a rear bearing 46 comprising acylindrical plug made of fibre, rubber, metal, plastic or other suitablebearing material contained within the rear end 48 of said spindle [4extending through said rear bearing hole 42, having a radial cord hol 50in rear of said spindle and in front of said rear arm 38 and bearinghole 42, and an axial cord hole 52 extending from said radial hole 50 tothe rear end of said bearing. Said bearing has an extended sleeveportion 54 fitting within said bearing hole 42 and may have the lockcollar 55 mounted on the rear end thereof in rear of said bearing hole42 to retain the tube on the support.

I also provide a front bearing 58, comprising a sleeve 60, having anenlarged rear portion 62 revolvable in said front bearing hole 40, acentral circumferential separating fin 64 and a front hub portion 66.Said sleeve is provided with the axial cord feeding hole 68 in alignmentwith said rear bearing radial hole 50 and said front cord delivery hole[8. Said bearing may also be made of metal, fibre or any other suitablebearing material.

I mount the drive pulley 10 on said hub and I provide a drive band 12extending around said rrotor drive shaft 34 and the rim of said pulleyWhile any suitable type of a drive band may be employed, I preferablyemploy an elastic band for this purpose, which will maintain therequisite friction at all times and yet yield or slip in case of a jam,without breakage of the cord.

If desired, the rear supporting arm 38 and its respective bearing 46,may be omitted provided the continuous run of cord 22 is suitablyaxially guided to the feeding hole 68 which may be in the pulley itselfinstead of the bearing, if desired. In the embodiment shown, however, Ipreferably employ to supplementally axially guide the cord 22, a cordguide rod 14 projecting upwardly from said stand I: directly in rear ofsaid axial guide hole 52 in said rear bearing 46, so that the cord maybe passed around said guide rod to be properly aligned within said axialcord feeding hole 52, and if the rear bearing 38 is omitted, said rod isso spaced as to be in alignment with the pulley axial guide hole 68.

I also may provide a guide rod 16 projecting obliquely forwardly fromsaid stand I 2, having a cord guide eye 18 thereon to guide the cord tosaid rear guide rod 14.

If desired, the pulley 10 and its respective bearing 60 may also beomitted, with the belt or band 12 passing directly around the spindlel4.

The operation of my invention is obvious from the above descritpion. Thecord of any desired nature, elastic or otherwise, from any suitablesource of supply, is passed through the guide eye :18 around the guiderod 14, through the axial hole 52, out the radialhole 50', along theouter surface of the spindle M, as shown, through the axial guide hole68 to the delivery hole I8, with its end 24 inserted radially throughsaid'radial delivery hole. The end 89 of the cord then may be grasped bythe opposite hand so as to apply the required tension to the cord. Theend 92 of the object to be covered, such as the wire 82 of the doublewire'cable 84 shown in Figs. 4 and and will wrap or serve the helicalcoils 92 of cord around the inserted end inthe manner shown in Fig. 4.The speed of insertion of the end 82 within the end of the rotatingspindle, as well as the speed of the motor, regulates the space betweenthe coils 92 of the covering cord. The end 182 is preferablyreciprocated several times axially within the tubular spindle [4 toprovide covered coils simulating a diamond shape in proportion to thethickness of the object being covered. If desired, the end 82 may be soinserted as to permit the coils 92 to be substantially adjacent eachother or spaced apart as in the manner shown. When one end of the wire82 has been covered, the, other end or wire 83 may then be insertedwithin the tubular spindle M and the operation repeated to cover thatend. Then, after both ends 82 and 83 have been covered with coils ofcord 92 as shown in Fig. 5, the entire cable is inserted within the endof the spindle so that the cable immediately adjacent its split orcrotch 94 may be covered with the supplemental strengthening coils 96 ofcord which may be similarly spaced from each other in the manner justexplained. Then, if desired, after the cable is withdrawn from themachine, the free end 98 is wrapped around the crotch in the few obliquecoils indicated at I and is passed through them and broken off, bindingsaid end 98to said coils 100 without a separate I knot.

As stated hitherto, if desired, other types of generally cylindricalobjects capable of fitting within the rotating spindle than the cablesplit ends shown may be similarly covered with cord coils.

It is apparent that I have provided a novel type of machine forhelically winding a continuous run of cord around a substantiallycylindrical element, with the advantages explained above.

It is understood that my invention is not limited to the specificembodiment shown and that various deviations may be made therefromwithout departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. Apparatus for serving a strand of material around a core comprising ahollow rotating member, bearing means mounting said member for rotationabout a predetermined axis, means for rotating said member, means fordirecting a strand from a supply thereof longitudinally of said rotatingmember on the outside thereof and through said bearing means, means onsaid rotating member to cause the portion of said strand extending alongsaid member to pass through said bearing means and be rotated by saidrotating means about said axis, and guiding means to direct said strandin a generally radial direction 6 into the hollow interior of saidmember towards said axis whereby said strand is wound upon @a coreinserted in the figure of revolution of said last mentioned means.

2. In an apparatus for serving a strand of material around a core, thecombination comprising a hollowspindle, a bearing mounting said spindlefor rotation about its axis, means for rotating said spindle, means.including a part of said bearing for directing a strand from a supplythereof through said bearing, guiding means for directing the strandinto the interior of the spindle at one end and then radially outwardtherefrom, and guiding means to direct said strand radially into thehollow interior of said spindle at its opposite end, whereby said strandis wound upon a core inserted in said last-mentioned hollow end of thespindle.

3. In an apparatus for serving a strand of material around an elongatecore, a tubular spindle for receiving the core, means for mounting saidspindle to rotate about its longitudinal axis, means for rotating saidspindle, means for directing a strand leading from a supply into therearward hollow end of the spindle, an opening in the side of thespindle for directing the strand radially outward from its interior tofeed longitudinally of its axis along the periphery of the spindle, andguiding means at the forward end of the spindle for directing the strandradially into its interior to adapt it to be wound around the coreprojected into the interior of the spindle.

4. In an apparatus for serving a cord or the like around an elongatecore, a tubular spindle, a bearing for journaling the forward end of thespindle to rotate about its longitudinal axis, means for rotating thespindle, means for guiding a strand leading from a source of supply tofeed it into the interior of the spindle at its rearward end, aradially-disposed opening from the interior of the spindle to itsexterior for directing the strand outwardly therefrom to feed along theperiphery of the spindle longitudinally of its axis, an opening in thebearing at the forward end of the spindle for passing the strandtherethrough as it feeds along the periphery of the spindle, and aguiding eye leading into the interior of the spindle at its forward endto cause the strand when attached to a core inserted into the end of thespindle to wind around the core to serve it helically thereof.

5. In an apparatus for serving a continuous length of cord around anelongate core, a stationary bearing, a tubular spindle journaled at itsforward end in said bearing to rotate about its longitudinal axis, anelectric motor for rotating said spindle, means to direct a strandleading from its source of supply into the interior of said spindle atits rearward end, an opening in the spindle for guiding the strandradially outward therefrom to extend along the periphery of the spindle,an opening in the bearing at the forward end of the spindle to pass theyarn therethrough, and an eye at the forward end of the spindle forguiding the strand into the interior of the spindle to adapt it to bewound around a core inserted into the spindle to serve the strandthereon in helical coils.

6. In an apparatus for serving a continuous strand such as a cord or thelike around a wire or other core, a hollow spindle of transparentmaterial, a bearing for mounting said spindle to rotate about itslongitudinal axis, means for guiding the cord to direct it into therearward end of the spindle and then radially outward therefrom to feedalong the periphery of the spindle, a sleeve fast -.on the spindle torotate therewith within the -the spindle for guiding the strand into itsinterior to cause it to wrap around the core in helical coils 'duringthe rotation of the spindle.

7. In an apparatus for serving a continuous strand to apply it helicallyto an elongate core, a

' standard, a tubular spindle journaled in forward and rearward spacedhearings on said standard,

- means for rotating said spindle, means for guiding the strand todirect it intothe interior of the spindle at its rearward end, means atsaid rearward end of the spindle for directing the strand radiallyoutward from its interior to adapt it to feed along the periphery of thespindle in. the direction of its axis, means for passing the strandthrough the forward bearing for the spindle as it is revolved therewith,and means at the forward end of the spindle for guiding the strandradially into its interior to cause it to wind around a core Y insertedinto the end of the spindle.

adapt it to feed along the periphery of the spindle,

a sleeve rotatable in the forward bearing for the spindle and providedwith an opening through which the strand feeds, and an opening at theforward end of the spindle through which the strand leads to direct itradially into the interior thereof for winding-it about a core insertedinto the end of the spindle.

9. In an apparatus of the type specified, a standard, an electric motormounted on said standard, forward and rearward axially-alined '8bearings on the standard; a tubular spindle journaled in said bearings,a sleeve fast on the spindle and rotatable in the forward bearing, apulley on the spindle, a belt connecting the motor to drive the pulleyto rotate the spindle, means for directing a strand such as a cord intothe rearward end of the spindle and radially outward from its interiorthrough an opening beyond the rearward bearing, an opening in the sleevein the forward bearing through which the strand feeds along theperiphery of the spindle, and an opening at the forward end of thespindle for guiding the strand into the interior of the spindle to causeit to wind around a core inserted into the end of the spindle to servethe strand in helical coils thereon.

10. In an apparatus of the type indicated, a hollow spindle, a bearingfor journaling the spindle, a sleeve fast on the spindle to rotatetherewith within its bearing, means for guiding a strand in an axialdirection along the outer periphery of the spindle, an opening in saidsleeve for passing the strand through the bearing for the spindle, andguiding means at the end of the spindle for passing the strand axiallyinto its interior to coil it about an object inserted thereinto.

CURT J ROHLAND.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 771,780 Janssen Oct. 4, 1904986,690 Clark Mar. 14, 1911 1,233,593 Macfarlane July 17, 1917 1,363,422Lambert Dec. 28, 1920 1,420,911 Davis et a1 June 27, 1922 1,843,149Eaton Feb. 2, 1932 2,416,076 Uhler Feb. 18, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS NumberCountry Date 503,928 Germany July 31, 1930

